Notes:

We love Champagne and taste many in our quest to find those gems we can offer with confidence however we are often more disappointed than thrilled. That’s why today’s wine is so special – it’s truly a diamond in the rough! Eric and Isabelle Coulon are the representatives of the eighth generation of the Coulon family to be engaged as growers producing Champagne from Vrigny and the surrounding villages in the northwest corner of the Montagne de Reims. Since 1806, this family has gradually increased its holdings so that there are now 10 hectares under vines, almost all located within the 1er Cru rated villages of Vrigny, Coulommes and Pargny, about 10 kilometers distance from Reims. In terms of their rigorous vineyard management and cellar practices, eighth-generation Eric and, as of late, his bright son Edgar occupy a tiny fringe within a region still largely mired in chemical farming and dominated by the ultra-powerful Grandes Marques: organic viticulture, spontaneous fermentations, low sulfur, and no fining or filtration all allow this estate’s terroirs to speak clearly of the magic that one can encounter on the slopes surrounding Reims. Coulon is one of only 6 growers in the élite Trait d’Union, an association committed to expressing terroir and working as naturally as possible. The other members, Egly-Ouriet, Larmandier-Bernier, Sélosse, Prévost, and Jacquesson, are lofty company indeed, with prices far higher than Coulon’s. Eric and Edgar’s wines strike an uncanny balance between precision and richness, combining penetrating minerality with the boldness and power these red-grape-dominated terroirs deliver at their best.

 

Today’s rarely seen, micro-production vintage Blanc de Noirs Millésime, is sourced from two parcels: Their un-grafted Meunier (the original rootstock survived phylloxera) in the village of Gueux and their Pinot Noir from Vrigny, a Premier Cru village made famous by Egly-Ouriet. This equal part Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier blend exhibits extraordinary depth and inimitable character and leaves a deeply embedded crushed-mineral footprint. Aged for 5 years prior to disgorgement, this wine is incredibly vinous, powerfully structured and pulsing with elegance. Rainier cherry, acacia, plums, redcurrant, dried black raspberry, and honeysuckle glide out of the glass, followed by crushed stones, oyster shell, hazelnut, and subtle notes of exotic spice. It’s hard not to get lost in every nuanced complexity here. The wine is neither filtered nor fined and only a minimal dosage (3 grams per liter) is applied when this 2012 vintage Champagne was disgorged. A total production of just a mere 250 case with only 25 making it into America, this is among the rarest Champagnes Roger Coulon produces, and it just so happens to be the best we’ve had from them. This will vanish in a blink of an eye, so don’t hesitate to grab yours now!